The Director's Chair - Terence Young

The first director to helm a James Bond film was Terence Young in Dr. No. Young is widely acknowledged as the man who gave James Bond his style. Dr. No’s editor, Peter Hunt claimed that Young could even have played 007 himself! In total he directed three James Bond films, including the first two: Dr. No and From Russia With Love. After a one-film break, he returned to direct Thunderball.

Terence Young’s life was almost as interesting as that of Bond himself. He was born in Shanghai and went to Cambridge before taking part in Operation Market-Garden as a tank commander during World War II. He later co-directed a film about this very battle. His first solo directing credit was in 1948. Young first worked with Cubby Broccoli in 1953 with The Red Beret – a film produced by Broccoli and Irving Allen. This partnership continued for several films, and when Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were planning the first Bond film, Young was hired to direct. Young had a scare while filming the second 007 film, From Russia With Love as the helicopter in which he was flying plunged into the sea while filming. Young, however was back in the director’s chair in a matter of minutes, proving that he was almost as indestructible as Bond himself.

Young passed away in 1994 at the age of 79 after suffering a heart attack. His contribution to the series is immense – without the sense of style and direction given to the early films by Terence Young the series might not have had the lasting impact that it has. Robert Cotton remarked that “Terence Young was James Bond”. How lucky then, that the first 007 films were directed by a man so well suited to the character.